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Our Story

Unnie, Dongsaeng, and KMuse at KCON 2014

*2015 UPDATE!*Looking at this section, I figured it was probably time for an update, since this was written back in early 2012 and some things have changed around here. For starters, we added another Crazy Ahjumma in to our little ahjumma family in 2014 - the always ah-mazing Kmuse! Good thing too, since Unnie eventually had to go her own separate way and focus on her family (you can read more about her on her page - we left it up to pay homage to one of our founding ahjummas). In addition to adding KMuse on full-time, we've been pleased to welcome guest bloggers along the way and look forward to continuing with that in the future. It's so awesome to think how when we started this little project, we really did feel all alone in our little Korean-obsessed world, and now look at us! What a fun community to be a part of! Thank you for making us a part of your world! We love having you spend time with us here as we gather together to talk all this really cool Hallyu stuff!

*OUR ORIGINAL STORY*We're two best friends separated by too much distance but who share a common obsession - all things Korean. We're riding that Hallyu wave and trying to find as many others as possible to join us along the way. Dramas, music, language, culture...all are our focus here on The Crazy Ahjummas. So grab a board, paddle out and let's ride this wave together!

Our Founding Ahjummas - Dongsaeng and Unnie

Before we begin the "Our Story" portion of this page we feel it important you read our Disclaimer:

FULL CONFESSION AND DISCLAIMER:

Ahjumma/Ajumma: a middle-aged and/or married woman, sometimes used as a derogatory term, but for our purposes here it is all tongue-in-cheek fun.

Yes, we are married to wonderful, supportive husbands who love us despite our "different" obsession. Which means we understand how lonely it can sometimes feel when you're riding this Hallyu wave, so we wanted a nice gathering place for all the other "crazy ahjummas" out there. We both enjoy writing and this is an area of our lives that has current interest to us, so we're going for it anyway. We hope you enjoy the ride right along with us!

At this point you may be asking yourself, "how come these two white
moms have a blog about Korea?" Our friends and family certainly ask us that all the time
when it comes to our addicKtion. Well, I'll share with you our journey.

Back in January or February 2011 (I don't remember which - if I had known
it would prove to be such an epic day in my life I certainly would have recorded
it in a journal or something), I, Dongsaeng, was wasting time on the computer
one day. I was on Hulu when a picture down in the corner of the page caught my
eye. It was a girl in a dress - a fancy pink ball gown. The title above said "My
Princess". Now, you need to understand something about me - I love fancy
dresses. And a fancy dress with something about a princess? Forget about it. I
had to check it out, even if it was in Korean. I've never been a foreign movie
kind of person, but for a pretty dress I made an exception that day. I fully
expected to turn it on and start laughing at the ridiculousness of it. I am
ashamed of my preconceived notion that any entertainment from that region of the
world would be over-the-top cheesy. I grew up watching Weird Al's UHF and the
Wheel of Fish game show and parodies of kung fu movies. I didn't know. I'm
sorry. Anyway, I clicked on the fancy dress and started watching. Lo and behold,
I didn't turn it off immediately. It wasn't over-the-top ridiculously cheesy
after all. I watched the entire episode. Then the next. And the next. I was 100%
hooked.

During a conversation with my best friend, Unnie, some days later, I
sheepishly admitted to her my new-found discovery. She laughed a little in
surprise, but then, because she is my best friend after all, and the very
best best friend a girl can have at that, she herself gave it a try. And she
also was 100% hooked. Thus began our journey delving in to the pop culture of
Korea. My Princess led to other dramas. Dramas led to K-pop. It was a snowball
effect of enormous proportions. It has been a year full of wonderful discoveries
and budding obsessions. If you're here, you probably know what we're talking
about, because you've probably experienced it for yourself.

It has been a very fun ride. The more we learn, the more we love it. We
love it all. The pop culture, the ancient history, the customs, the
people...everything. It is really fun to reach outside of your own sphere and
discover what lies without. Many of our friends and family don't understand the
draw and sometimes laugh, but that's okay. It's more than worth it. We like to
say that we're not on the bandwagon, we're driving it looking for others to hop
on with us. We've got a few passengers gathered but are always happy to welcome
more!
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6 comments:

I am not an Ahjumma, I'm only 20 and not even close to being married (unless I meet a nice K-pop star)lol but I am a FANATIC about anything and everything Korean! I discovered Kpop through Ninja Assassin, because I was in love with the star of that movie which turned out to be Rain & I looked him up, and it ALL started from there! I am from a small town in Alabama so you can imagine the looks I get when I say I love K-pop or K-drama! haha but I appreciate this blog so much! Good luck and thank you for posting about your obsession, I don't feel like I'm the only one anymore! haha :D

I'm retired & can't get enough of Korea. I sometimes go to 3 or 4 different sites to find all the episodes of a favorite show or movie, sometimes in another language that I don't understand. But if I can see the episodes it's better than nothing so I might watch a Korean show with Spanish subs just to see the end. Or a few episodes I'll watch w/Eng. subs, then I'll have to watch 1 or 2 episdoes in Vietnamese, then a few episodes in Spanish! But it's ALWAYS WORTH IT! Pinterest is also addictive. There I have boards for each of my favorites. Don't know how you people do it who have to go to work or have families to take care of. One of these days I'll have to shake this habit. And there are days I spend hours laughing @ JYJ or Shinee or Super Junior on youtube.Love your blog, btw! @.@

I was very into everything Japanese for about 2 years. I was (and still am) learning Japanese, so watching Japanese movies and dramas with subs was another opportunity to learn the language and more about the country. I checked out a lot of Ukrainian and Russian sites on Asian dramas and learned that Korean ones are said to be better. Nevertheless I was never into Korea, so I ignored that. Until I've accidentally heard "Oxygen" by Shinee which I instantly adored. So I've decided to give Korean pop culture a chance to win my heart. Still, I can't get enough! Thank you Korea!

I don't know if I'm also an ahjumma, haha, cos I'm like going 40 but still single...but found my love and obsession like only 2 years++ back, I enjoy K-Dramas with good plot, good acting and of cos eye candies !!! I love your blogging plus your thinking over some scenes and plot. Keep it up !! Fighting !!